[Letter] 1942 December 6 [to] Sir
Dublin Core
Title
[Letter] 1942 December 6 [to] Sir
Subject
Power turrets
Louisiana
Description
Drescher writes of joining the Barksdale Glee Club and Choir and of his hope to do church work at St. Mark's. He says he has submitted an officer's candidate application since he is unable to be a cadet due to dizzy spells. Drescher also describes power turrets in detail and the importance of keeping them in perfect condition.
Creator
Drescher, Gordon
Source
Wagner College Archive, Horrmann Library
Date
12/6/1942
Contributor
Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Is Part Of
A complete index to the letters in this collection can be found here: http://library.wagner.edu/wagnerarchive/StoughtonPDF/Correspondence index.pdf
Format
application/pdf
Language
eng
Type
text
Identifier
Drescher2
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
12/6/42
Dear Sir,
Received your letter yesterday, & enjoyed it very much. I hope you won’t mind my quick response, but I try to answer as quickly as possible, due to the lack of time we are allowed.
Our chaplain has gotten me an appointment with the minister of St. Mark’s church in town, so I’m hoping to remain in church work thru this. I’ve joined the Barksdale Glee Club and Choir, and am remaining in that type of work. I really enjoyed singing with the Wagner choir & hope to once again, become a member.
My attempt to become a cadet was stopped before it even started. I get very dizzy when I exercise, or bend over, so guess I
[Page 2]
will have to remain on the ground. I have however, submitted an officer’s candidate application with the hope that I’ll be selected to go into officer’s training. It hardly seems possible that I have been in the aircorps nearly 6 months now. It seems only yesterday, that I was back in New York.
Soon, I intend to apply for a furlough, and hope that I will be able to get a short one. They only give 7 day furloughs here. Seven days, however, are better than no days at all. About my type of work in this war; it is Power turret.
Power turrets are the gun turrets on the bombers. They are compact, and are run either by hydraulics, electricity, or a combination of both. Some of our bombers, the Fortress & Consolidated
[Page 3]
as examples, have three turrets on them. There are rumors of a new plane that will be excellent, but that is highly restricted, and I can’t say more. I would like to tell you all about my work, but it, also, is restricted. I can say this much, however, my job is to keep these turrets in perfect running condition. The gun sights must also be maintained by P.T. men.
We are specialists and should have ratings, but the aircorps is slow in giving their promotions. We expect a promotion soon. Well, guess I had better close now, and get back to work on the line. Although today is Sunday, we work just the same.
Till my next letter then,
[Page 4]
I am,
Sincerely,
Pvt. Gordon Drescher
P.S. Thanks again for your fine letter, which I certainly appreciated. Please pardon my poor writing, but I’ve always had a poor hand.
Dear Sir,
Received your letter yesterday, & enjoyed it very much. I hope you won’t mind my quick response, but I try to answer as quickly as possible, due to the lack of time we are allowed.
Our chaplain has gotten me an appointment with the minister of St. Mark’s church in town, so I’m hoping to remain in church work thru this. I’ve joined the Barksdale Glee Club and Choir, and am remaining in that type of work. I really enjoyed singing with the Wagner choir & hope to once again, become a member.
My attempt to become a cadet was stopped before it even started. I get very dizzy when I exercise, or bend over, so guess I
[Page 2]
will have to remain on the ground. I have however, submitted an officer’s candidate application with the hope that I’ll be selected to go into officer’s training. It hardly seems possible that I have been in the aircorps nearly 6 months now. It seems only yesterday, that I was back in New York.
Soon, I intend to apply for a furlough, and hope that I will be able to get a short one. They only give 7 day furloughs here. Seven days, however, are better than no days at all. About my type of work in this war; it is Power turret.
Power turrets are the gun turrets on the bombers. They are compact, and are run either by hydraulics, electricity, or a combination of both. Some of our bombers, the Fortress & Consolidated
[Page 3]
as examples, have three turrets on them. There are rumors of a new plane that will be excellent, but that is highly restricted, and I can’t say more. I would like to tell you all about my work, but it, also, is restricted. I can say this much, however, my job is to keep these turrets in perfect running condition. The gun sights must also be maintained by P.T. men.
We are specialists and should have ratings, but the aircorps is slow in giving their promotions. We expect a promotion soon. Well, guess I had better close now, and get back to work on the line. Although today is Sunday, we work just the same.
Till my next letter then,
[Page 4]
I am,
Sincerely,
Pvt. Gordon Drescher
P.S. Thanks again for your fine letter, which I certainly appreciated. Please pardon my poor writing, but I’ve always had a poor hand.
Original Format
http://library.wagner.edu/wagnerarchive/StoughtonPDF/Drescher2.pdf
Date Digital
2014
Citation
Drescher, Gordon, “[Letter] 1942 December 6 [to] Sir,” Wagner College Archives and Special Collections, accessed April 27, 2024, https://wagnercollections.omeka.net/items/show/16289.